Addicted To Love Updated ver
by BethosaurusTheDinosaur
Summary: This is a rewrite of my first story 'Addicted To Love'. Hope you guys like the improved ver!
1. Chapter 1

Iruka had always been clumsy, but recently, he'd seemed to have gone through a change.

He was well known to be someone dependable and honest, but he was always making a mess of things. Being a teacher at the academy was a big job; educating the youths of Konoha deserved a medal because if a shinobi didn't know the basics, they didn't have much of a chance in the big, wide world. Not only that, but more than a few of them were an absolute pain in his behind. From running around and making noise to pulling ridiculous pranks and completely bunking off from class, Iruka had had them all. Naruto finally graduated, and then he was stuck with Konohamaru. He knew he was a sucker. But at least he knew, right? Maybe they thought he was a little bit cool? Yeah, they probably did, and not only that, but he was changing all their lives and making them stronger. That was what made it all worthwhile.

Although he knew he was a good teacher, Iruka also knew he was clumsy. He'd slip over in the middle of a lesson, fall asleep in class and get carried away with what he enjoyed, missing his assignments. He could hardly keep up, but at the same time seemed like the only one that could keep up. He was gentle, too, which was the best trait he could've had for teaching. He was just a bit too gentle for the battlefield.

Recently, however, it was strange. He hadn't been quite so clumsy anymore. The other day, he'd rushed to work, and he was sure he'd forgotten his books, but when he'd rushed back to the classroom to check, there they were, in his bag. Similarly, the other night, he'd fallen asleep in the office with his head on the desk, but when he woke up he'd had a blanket on top of him, even though he was sure he hadn't fallen asleep on purpose. Then, after he'd realised where he was, he panicked thinking he'd be late for class like he always was when he had no alarm clock, but when he checked the time it was an hour before the start of lesson. That day, he had time to go home, change his clothes and get some breakfast, and he still wasn't late, nor did he have a cold from sleeping without a blanket. He was hoping that maybe this was it, maybe he'd finally grown up properly, even if he was in his twenties. Maybe he was finally going to be organised. But he didn't remember a thing, though, so how? Perhaps he'd been so busy recently that his life was a blur. He _had_ been tired. But he was _always_ tired. Maybe someone was hypnotising him. Maybe he'd been hypnotising himself.

Today hadn't been any different. He didn't feel any more organised, and this morning he did, in fact, sleep in. He rushed to work having skipped breakfast and made it just in time. However, when lunchtime came around, his desk in the office seemed to have his usual lunch on it: an apple, a shop bought bento with rice, meat and pickled vegetables, and a bottle of plain old water. Of course, since he'd skipped breakfast, he hadn't the time to buy lunch, right? But there it was, on his desk, ready for him to find it when he came out of class. He checked all his receipts but none of them seemed to be from today. Perhaps he'd binned it? He checked the bin, too, but it wasn't in there. Perhaps he wasn't going mad, after all.

After all these strange occurrences, Iruka began to think. What was the likelihood that he'd done all these things without realising? Yes, he was prone to being clumsy and forgetting things, but surely, he wouldn't have forgotten all that. It didn't seem like it was in him to be so very organised. Suddenly, Iruka began to think. Maybe it wasn't him doing all this after all. Maybe it was someone else?

Iruka's mind went wild. What if it had been his guardian angel? What if it was a fairy or something, something from a story that comes to help good little boys and girls like him who try their very hardest and want free Ichiraku ramen on Thursdays or a pay rise? Maybe not. He was starting to get tired of all these if's, but's and maybe's, and it was time to act. Tonight, he was going to 'fall asleep' at his desk, yet again, without a blanket. And whoever it was that was doing all these things (stalking him, watching his every move) would be called out, once and for all. Finally, he could find his secret admirer, hopefully one that was a cute girl, and thank her for all that she had done. Then, maybe, if she really were cute, he could invite her out on a date, just the two of them. He hoped she liked Ichiraku as much as he did.

So, as night drew closer, Iruka did his papers, yawned and did a big stretch, and lay in wait, awake at his desk.

Time ticked away more slowly than he had thought. He thought maybe he really could fall asleep, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't get up either, even if his back was really aching from being in the same position just a few nights before. With time going this slowly, though, maybe he really should go home. What if his guardian princess didn't show? Or what if, even worse, she didn't exist at all?

Suddenly, just as Iruka was warming up to the idea of calling it a night and heading home, he heard the creak of the door handle. He froze. Was that the wind? Or was it…

He heard the door swing open, and footsteps slowly but surely, tiptoe into the room. He listened. This secret admirer didn't seem feminine at all. Those footsteps were hardly gentle and graceful. Well, she didn't have to be _too_ graceful, he thought, if she was beautiful. He listened intently and waited to hear the mysterious footsteps sneak over to the desk on the other side of the room on which the blanket had been strategically placed earlier by Iruka. Then, after some ruffling, the sounds crept closer and closer, very gently, until they were right beside him. Iruka could feel this person's heat, and they felt very, very warm. In fact, they felt big, too. What a presence this person had. They felt strong, powerful and stable but at the same time, their heat was very comforting. However, as Iruka realised, they most definitely were not a girl. His heart sank. His secret admirer, or so he thought, was a man. Well then, what on earth had this man been doing?

Just as Iruka felt the blanket be lowered slowly onto his back, as quick as a flash, he used the shinobi skills he'd missed using on the front line and grabbed this bastard's wrist, stopping him right in his tracks.

"Aha!" He yelled. "Thought you could get the best of me, didn't you? Spit it out, who are you?"

The man froze, and suddenly, so did Iruka. There weren't many lights on in the room. The only light was that from the door where the figure had come in, and it illuminated only half of his face, yet it was enough that Iruka could see. There he stood, grasping the wrist of Konoha's white fang, Kakashi Hatake.

"Uh, sorry." Kakashi apologised. He looked sincere, and turned on his heel, hastily leaving the room and leaving Iruka completely dumbfounded. Iruka was stunned. His stalker, admirer or whatever he was, this entire time, had been Kakashi? It didn't make any sense. He'd never even paid any interest in him so, why now? And after all that, why him? Iruka didn't feel quite so angry about it anymore. Kakashi wasn't the stalker type, not really. He was kind, thoughtful and dependable. It was no wonder he could keep up with all those things Iruka had fallen back on. But why would he waste his time on Iruka, he wondered.

After all that, Iruka made his way home. He couldn't think, so he went to sleep. He still had work tomorrow, and he still had responsibilities. He just had to hope he wouldn't run into _him_ tomorrow. He didn't see him often, but he did see him. Although, there was part of him that wanted to ask all kinds of questions. But he couldn't just ask. It was more complicated than that.

Iruka woke up late, per usual. He rushed to work and made it just in time without having breakfast or picking up lunch. At his lunch break, he headed to the office, but low and behold he really had forgotten his lunch, and no one was going to bring it for him. He'd often forgotten it before, but this time, he noticed, he was much hungrier than he'd been. In fact, he'd had a good lunch for the past month or so. Had it really been that long? He couldn't help but feel it was a shame, even if it was odd. Even if he kind of felt bad that Kakashi was wasting his time and money on him. Even if it was, again, odd.

He didn't have time for lunch, so he did some more marking and went back to teaching lessons. He was hungry, but he was busy, and work was more important than food. So, he finished lessons and stayed back after everyone else had gone home. Although his stomach was grumbling, he still made it to the end, and before he knew it, it was 3am. He guessed it was time to head home. After all, he didn't want to catch a cold sleeping in the office again, now that someone wasn't covering him up with blankets anymore.

As he made his way home under the path paved by street lights, he began feeling a little light headed. Anaemia, Tsunade had told him, or low iron in the blood, can cause drowsiness, tiredness, light-headedness and can make you feel weak. Best thing to do is eat enough, drink enough and don't push yourself too hard. But it came, and it went, and it was worse at night. Eventually, like always, it would go. Iruka just decided he'd take a little rest on this nearby bench, close his eyes for a second, and he'd head off home soon enough. It was nothing to worry about. He closed his eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

"Iruka. Iruka!" A voice yelled, shaking Iruka awake. His eyes were glued together, and it took some time to pry them apart. Once his vision was less blurred, Kakashi stood ahead of him, his hands grasping Iruka's shoulders firmly and a concerned look on his face.

"Why are you sleeping here? Is something wrong?" Kakashi tightened his grip. "You'll get ill."

Iruka attempted to stand, but he stumbled. He hadn't recovered fully, and he was tired, and he wasn't all there having just woken up either. Kakashi made sure to catch him.

"Oi, Iruka? What's going on?"

Unfortunately, Iruka was already out of it, and he didn't look like he'd be waking up anytime soon. Kakashi didn't want to impose, but he didn't want to wake him up, either. So, even if he knew it would get him in trouble, he decided to take Iruka back to his place. There wouldn't be too much room since he was the only one staying there, but there would be some floor space he could take. Iruka would get the bed, obviously.

Eventually, after lugging an extra body all the way down the street in the dark, he reached his front door. He fumbled around for the key and slipped through into the pantry. Without turning on the light, he shuffled to the bed, gently placed Iruka down into the sheets, and tucked him in. Then, he made his way to the cupboards, pulled out some sheets, and set himself up a bed on the floor. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough for tonight. He sighed to himself. He dreaded the situation that would arise in the morning, and he knew he'd have to finally explain himself. The longer it could wait the better, he had thought, but it was all finally going to come to an end.

When he awoke, Iruka felt as if the room was spinning. He felt the familiar feeling of his eyelids being glued to one another, and, after finally finding the strength to pry them open, sat himself up. He scanned the room. This wasn't _his_ room. It was just as plain, and the furniture was almost the same, other than a small drawing desk in the corner that had a thick collection of papers strewn about on top of it, novels collected in a pile at the foot of its chair.

Iruka saw that a pile of neatly folded bed sheets were in the middle of the room. It was quite a contrast from the state of the desk, and seemed to say a lot about what mattered to the person living here, or at least something about their state of mind.

Iruka thought back to the previous night. Before he panicked, he'd figure out where he was. So, he'd gotten home very late. Had he gotten home? No, he'd fallen asleep outside, and when he'd woken up…

Kakashi. He was at Kakashi's house. He'd fallen asleep and been carried back to Kakashi's house because, of course, Kakashi didn't have Iruka's door key. It made a lot of sense now. He was awfully dependable, Kakashi, wasn't he? At the end of the day, it made a lot of sense. That was how he'd been able to keep up with Iruka's clumsiness. Otherwise, he'd have given up much sooner. Given up? Had he a goal in mind through all of this? He must've, right? So, what was it? At least Iruka could finally ask for himself, if it wasn't too much. It was his privacy, after all. He was convinced that Kakashi was just a really, really nice guy.

Suddenly, the key turned in the door, and Kakashi came bustling in with a convenience store bag that was clearly bursting. He looked up and noticed Iruka was awake, and immediately appeared slightly apathetic. " _Thanks"_ Iruka thought. _"It's nice to see you first thing in the morning, too."_

"So, you're awake." Kakashi muttered. He sighed. "I bought you these. I don't know what you like, so, I bought a lot."

Iruka peeked into the bag only to discover that the entire thing was filled with meat bento boxes, apples and bottles of water, with a few assorted snacks in between.

"Oh, really? Thanks, I guess. Although, for someone that doesn't know what I like, this looks a bit like what I eat in a week, don't you think?" Iruka raised a brow. Kakashi sighed again, stood, and turned to collect the papers on his writing desk and slot them into its drawer.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Sorry, I know you've just woken up, but I'm going to head out. I'm kind of busy today. I'm leaving this key here. Let yourself out when you're ready. You can give me the key later, or you can throw it away." Kakashi said, almost sullenly. He made his way toward the door.

"Kakashi Hatake, I'm not done with you." Iruka exerted himself. "I have quite the bone to pick."

Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks. He huffed and puffed, took his hand away from the door and came back into the room. He sat on the bed just beside Iruka's feet, gave himself a moment, then locked his eyes with Iruka's.

"Yes?"

Iruka felt a little embarrassment now, but Kakashi was all ears, so off he went.

"'Yes', what? How about telling me what this is all about? You've been following me, haven't you?"

"I'm not following you exactly." Kakashi defended himself. "I'm not some kind of stalker."

"Then what is this? Why are you doing all this? Is it for personal gain? Are you trying to embarrass me?"

"It's not like that. I just wanted to help, that's all. I heard from Tsunade you were struggling with work and that it was really taking a tole on your body, and so…"

Iruka's look softened. He settled himself and looked out of the window. "It's okay." He said. "It's all okay. Just don't do it anymore."

"Alright." Iruka could feel Kakashi staring at him hard. "I won't." And with that, Kakashi really left. They'd gotten it all sorted out, Iruka thought, if that's what you could call it. But something didn't feel right. He'd had that sullen look again, the one that said, 'but I'm just trying my best'. Suddenly, Iruka was even more curious than he'd been before he'd asked any questions at all.

Now that he was the only one in the house, he ate a bit of what Kakashi had bought him and left the rest in the kitchen. It was _far_ too much food for one person, and although it was a shame, he felt he couldn't take it. He made sure to tidy his mess, wrote out a note, and took his leave. Then he went home, got himself sorted out, and headed to work. During the day, he found it hard to concentrate. He couldn't get that sullen look out of his mind. Why would Kakashi look like that? He needed to think things through. Then, maybe, he'd feel better about it all. Then it might be easier to face him again, and then maybe they could still be friends.

By the time Iruka had made it back home, he had already decided. He was going to sort things out properly, once and for all, and find out why Kakashi had done it. He needed to know, and he needed Kakashi to understand that he wasn't mad exactly, just confused. He wanted them to stay friends, no matter what it took. He took a shower, changed his clothes, and then, on the way to work, decided how he'd put his plan into action.


	2. Chapter 2

During the day and for the next week or so, Iruka didn't see Kakashi around. He'd been looking out for him, but he was nowhere.

"He's out on a mission now. He put a request in himself. Is this something to do with you, Iruka? You've been asking for him a lot recently. Did something happen?" Tsunade had asked when Iruka had gone to her office to inquire.

"It isn't anything like that. Well, kind of. It's difficult to make heads or tails of it." He smiled sheepishly, to which Tsunade simply sighed.

"Well, whatever it is, you'll benefit from figuring things out. I'll find a way to get him to you, since you seem like the only one acting like a grownup in all of this."

"Thanks."

With that, he left the office and mulled over it all by himself. It was strange; although Iruka never really noticed Kakashi in and around the village, he really seemed to notice that, now that he wanted him, he wasn't there. In realising this, it seemed as if his every waking moment he'd been on the lookout. He couldn't help himself, even if nothing would really come of it, good nor bad.

Did Kakashi have many close friends? He'd been one of the fourth's students, however his teacher had died. He'd been in a team of three, yet both his teammates had died horribly, and so had his parents long before. Iruka's parents had died, too. It was a horrible thing to have gone through, but Iruka knew it had been harder for Kakashi simply because he no longer had anyone close to him, and thus he kept everyone at an arm's length.

"It must've been very painful." Iruka thought to himself.

"What? Are you okay Iruka sensei?" Naruto asked. He'd passed Iruka in the street just now and had seen him mulling over something with a stiff face.

"Hm? Oh no, not me, I'm fine." Iruka said. "Oh, Naruto. Have you seen Kakashi lately? He's been in and out of missions and I'd like to speak with him. Has he said anything?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "He said 'I'll be busy for a while, don't tell Iruka I'm doing this on purpose. Tell him Tsunade made it up.' He was acting pretty strange actually. I kinda' don't get what's up with him. I've barely even seen him with an open book."

Iruka's eyebrows knitted together and his expression hardened. He didn't get it at all. If Kakashi was really this distraught about the whole thing, then why could he live with an 'I'm sorry' and then slip away into the darkness, hoping never to be seen again? Surely, he was the kind of person that faced his problems head on? And what was the problem, anyway?

"I can't really say much more, sensei, but whatever it was has really shut him up. He used to talk about you all the time. Now he's gone totally stone-cold quiet. I never really got it in the first place, but it's weird seeing him down. Maybe you should talk to him? I think you usually cheer him up, anyways."

Suddenly Iruka's face was like a wooden doll; his expression seemed to have totally escaped him. What on earth? Kakashi talked about him? Why? Since when did he cheer Kakashi up? Huh?

Iruka wanted to ask as many questions as he could, but none of them came out, and Naruto left him in the street, dumbfounded.

Iruka felt like this week had been a lot to digest. He'd discovered his guardian angel, he'd been avoided, and he'd learned a thing or two about how Kakashi actually felt about him. He was starting to think maybe he'd bitten off more than he could chew, but this was how it was and now he had to figure it out, and then fix it. Not to mention, he'd realised that since having his mess picked up after him had been short term and too good to be true, now he had to stop being mess on the side, but that really felt impossible.

Suddenly Iruka remembered. He'd ran out of lunches and he'd ought to pick one up for work tomorrow. He was sure he'd forget in the morning, so, despite that it was already late, he thought he should pick one up before he got sleepy doing his work. If he didn't go now, he wouldn't go at all. So, he made his way up the street toward the only convenience store that was ever open at 3am. He bought three boxes, enough to last him and not too many so that the rice would go hard before he finished them, and began to head home, when he noticed a figure under the street light. There he was, Kakashi Hatake, looking as if he'd been through a bit of a sticky day, but all in one piece. He leaned against the cold metal with his arms crossed over one another, and he looked to be in deep thought. His hair needed brushing, and his scrapes needed attending to, and Iruka thought maybe _he_ wanted to do all thatfor him.

"What are you doing here?" Iruka gently called out, no accusation in his voice but rather an affection. He was nervous, but without remorse, and he didn't need to think.

Kakashi smiled at him. "Oh, so you've found me." He said. Iruka's body didn't respond like he thought it would. He thought he'd flinch or shiver, but he didn't. He stayed very still.

"I wanted to ask you something." He said. "Can I?"

Kakashi pushed himself away from the lamppost and, hesitantly, he sighed. "You can."

The two sat together, on the bench, in the poorly lit street. Their faces were dim, but he could read Kakashi's expression, Iruka noticed, just like that night.

"I've been thinking a lot." Iruka broke the silence, but neither of them looked at each other. They stared up at the stars. "All of this has put me in a very strange position. I'd like to know where you stand and… why you did what you did."

Kakashi thought of a way to say it all without seeming too blunt and impulsive, but he wasn't used to being so uncertain.

"I'm sorry for what I did, and if it made you feel uneasy. I wanted to do something, but I couldn't think of a way. I'm not someone that's direct with this kind of thing."

" _This kind of thing? What kind of thing is this?"_ Iruka thought to himself, but he didn't dare interrupt in fear of never hearing what was about to come.

"I have feelings for you, and I wanted you to know because I couldn't hold them all in. I'm sorry to tell you this now."

Iruka stayed silent. Although he knew Kakashi had finished and now it was his turn, his questions had dissipated, and he continued to search for an answer between the stars.

"I don't quite understand." He finally said. He noticed Kakashi turn to look at him properly, but he didn't look back.

"I'm saying I'm in love with you."

Iruka felt his hard stare for many moments, but he couldn't move. He knew what had been said, but it was if he couldn't hear it, as if the stars were too loud. He saw Kakashi turn back to look at the sky after what felt like an eternity, and he flinched. The pressure was immense, and it was almost frightening.

"Thankyou." Was the only thing Iruka could hope to say, before he, at his own pace, slipped off the bench and lurked away, off into the night.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Wowee, the first author's note of the series, already popping up in only the second chapter. I'm hoping you're liking the story so far. I don't know how I feel about it and I'm hoping it isn't as scattered as _I_ feel thinking about it. I'm also hoping that those who read the original are satisfied so far too, and that maybe they think it's better. This chapter kind of ended abruptly, but I felt I could end it there. Let me know if it was too abrupt.

Can you envision it? I hope so. More chapters to come, hopefully in about a week's time. We shall see.

Thanks for reading and please leave me a review, even if it's just to say you've read it. I really like reading them.

~Beth


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka shuffled around his apartment. He was lucky he didn't have any work today because his head was aching, and he couldn't think. He was sure he'd caught a cold, probably from being out so late at night, and his nose was stuffy. He shuffled to his bed and fell into the sheets.

Kakashi's words had been rattling around in his head all morning. It wasn't that he didn't believe him, but the whole thing did feel rather unbelievable. He and Kakashi really hadn't spoken that often. Yes, they got on, but he couldn't think of anything they really knew about each other. They'd met through Naruto, and it felt as if they couldn't get away from each other now, but that hadn't made them particularly close.

Even disregarding the emotional side of things, had Kakashi always been into men? If not, why didn't he mind that Iruka was a man? He didn't think he was a woman, right?

Of course not. He couldn't get carried away with himself. Iruka was starting to think strange things. It was surprising, though, that someone so popular with women had gone for him. Someone like Kakashi was handsome so he could have anyone. Not only that, but Iruka couldn't see his own positive traits. He'd always been unpopular and the class clown, so why would Kakashi see anything within him that was lovable? It didn't add up. But Iruka knew he ought not make himself feel bad for being a little less superior to the fabled White Fang. He ought to have a little more confidence in himself. He was a nice guy, after all.

He had to decide how he felt. It wasn't that he didn't like him, because he did like him, but he couldn't exactly view him as a romantic partner. After all, they didn't know each other that well. They were work colleagues, at best. He did like Kakashi's wise nature, but it was possible that would make him a little stiff as a romantic partner. A relationship couldn't be too serious. Despite this, Iruka _did_ value Kakashi's sweet side. He'd shown himself as caring and considerate, which wasn't something you could ignore. Did he mention they didn't know each other that well? Although, there weren't many guys like that rattling around these days, and whoever he ended up with would be really lucky to have him. Now he had to tell Kakashi that person wouldn't be him.

Iruka slept as best he could, then in the morning he got ready for work, and then when he had a moment, tried to catch up with Kakashi. Before he knew it Kakashi was ahead of him, and suddenly he had no idea what to say, and his mind had gone blank. Kakashi caught sight of him.

"Oh, Iruka? I haven't seen you all day. I thought perhaps you'd been avoiding me." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, but it didn't misplace a strand of his hair, Iruka noticed.

"Ah, yes, do you mind if I could… Can I perhaps…" He glanced up to Kakashi's unknowing expression, the air about it similar to a small dog. He couldn't find the words to say it right now. He took in a deep breath.

"Do you want to drink at my place tonight?"

Kakashi took a moment, and suddenly his face lit up. Iruka should've expected this, since he was sure it looked like he was inviting him on a date, but he'd be letting him down in the end. This was all so cruel.

"Of course! Name a time and I'll be there! I'm not busy!" Kakashi grinned like a fool, or so it seemed through his mask. Iruka was sure he _was_ busy, but he was to expect Kakashi would make time for him wherever he could.

"Alright, then. I'll see you at 7pm?" He proposed.

"It would be my pleasure."

At 7pm on the dot, Kakashi arrived at Iruka's front door. He knocked gently, and when Iruka answered, he handed him some bottles of strong alcohol and slipped in past him like he'd lived there his entire life. Iruka scoffed at him but let it be. He'd be a bit of a mess later when he'd learn what Iruka was thinking. Might as well let him enjoy himself a little now.

The problem with letting Kakashi 'enjoy himself', was that, as a wise and controlled person on the battlefield, 'enjoying himself' made Kakashi turn into a beast. He would drink a lot, say a lot, and sometimes get overly emotional about the smallest things. However, the next morning, as Iruka had learned from village parties between leaf ninja, Kakashi not only wouldn't remember any of it, but would suffer twice as much as anyone else drinking there, with half the alcohol.

Quickly, they'd gotten to chatting about trivial things, and Iruka had relaxed and forgotten about the whole ordeal. As someone who drank little and not very often, he let his guard down, and they were back to being work colleagues. Watching Kakashi begin to slur his words and have difficulty with his motor functions just seemed to make him giggle.

Before he knew it, Kakashi was looking at him with a slightly sullen look, but it was untraceable to Iruka. He'd just smile with him and chuckle along at the slight passes he made.

 _He's so... unguarded…_

Before realising it, Kakashi leaned into Iruka and looked into his eyes. Iruka froze, his gaze stolen, and his mind went entirely blank. He could smell the alcohol on Kakashi's breath, and he could feel the warmth of it on his lips every time Kakashi breathed out. He watched Kakashi's eyes glance downwards every few moments towards his lips, and then back up to lock with his eyes again. He wondered for a moment what Kakashi was thinking; if he were dazed due to the drink, or if he knew what this closeness meant, especially to someone like himself. Then, somehow still leaving Iruka dumbfounded, Kakashi leaned in close enough to lightly pass his warmth on and plant a kiss on Iruka. His lips, Iruka noticed, were much softer than they looked, and, although they tasted like alcohol, it was not unpleasant. He stayed there for a moment, then pulled away, turned to Iruka with a blush on his cheeks and said,

"I'm gonna throw up."

Iruka was ashamed in himself. He couldn't tell Kakashi what he felt, and what he felt was now a total mess. He couldn't tell what Kakashi would remember, either, and he'd had to cart him home pretty fast and put him to bed. Now Iruka was laid on his own bed with his clothes on and one hell of a headache from the sake, and he couldn't calm himself down. He hadn't even gotten up to clear away the bottles on the table, let alone the vomit in the sink. He should've known Kakashi had been up to something, but now it was too late, and now he was _thinking_ about it.

What was _really_ bothering him, though, was that he _hadn't hated it_. In fact, he'd had worse kisses. _In fact, it was pretty good._

The bottom line was, even though he'd been kissed by Kakashi, who was not only male, but a good 'work colleague' of his, Iruka had been into it. It hadn't been much, and it hadn't lasted long, but in that moment, Iruka felt it would've been a good thing if it had gone on a little longer. This shocking revelation was why it had been several hours, and he was still in his clothes, and his bathroom still smelled of vomit. He wanted to go to sleep, because maybe then everything would disappear, but he knew not only that it wouldn't, but that he wouldn't fall asleep for a good few hours. He'd be lucky if he fell asleep at all.

He didn't have anything to tell Kakashi, now. He'd have to figure himself out. Perhaps Kakashi's declaration hadn't been so shocking after all; Iruka was starting to realise maybe they had something between them. It had just shocked him that Kakashi had already found it, and that he was ahead of him, even now.


End file.
